High-Pressure Tank Resin Impregnation via Segmented Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing high-pressure tanks face challenges in evenly impregnating fibers with resin, particularly in ensuring that inner layers close to the vessel body are adequately coated, which affects the pressure capacity and integrity of the tank.
Innovation Solution
A method involving winding fibers around a cylindrical vessel body with varying thickness to form multiple layers, followed by injecting resin through a connecting member with through-holes that align with the fiber layers, allowing for axial resin injection and vacuum-assisted transfer molding to ensure even impregnation and reduce voids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If fibers are wound around the outer peripheral surface of the vessel body to form multiple fiber layers laminated in the radial direction, then the vessel body is reinforced, but it becomes difficult to evenly impregnate the inner layers close to the vessel body with resin
Solution Approach 1:
The resin injection system is segmented into multiple injection ports positioned at different locations (neck portion and body portion) to deliver resin to different regions of the fiber layers. This segmentation allows resin to penetrate through the thick laminated fiber structure more effectively, ensuring uniform impregnation of both outer and inner fiber layers while maintaining vessel reinforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
A vacuum film is introduced as an intermediary element between the fiber layers and the mold. The vacuum film creates a pressure differential that actively draws resin through the fiber layers toward the vacuum source, enhancing resin penetration into inner layers. This mediator overcomes the resistance posed by the thick laminated fiber structure while preserving the reinforcement benefits.
2Stress or pressure
If the total thickness of fiber layers is increased on the neck portion to increase pressure capacity, then the pressure capacity of the neck portion is increased, but resin impregnation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The resin injection system is segmented into multiple injection ports positioned at different locations (neck portion and body portion) to deliver resin to different regions of the fiber layers. This segmentation allows resin to penetrate through the thick laminated fiber structure more effectively, ensuring uniform impregnation of both outer and inner fiber layers while maintaining vessel reinforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
Resin injection is performed from multiple dimensions - both axially through the neck portion and radially through the body portion. This multi-dimensional injection approach allows resin to reach thick fiber layers at the neck portion from different directions, ensuring complete impregnation even when fiber layer thickness is increased for pressure capacity.
3Quantity of substance
If resin is injected through a mold, then resin impregnation can be achieved, but the amount of resin to be injected cannot be easily adjusted without changing mold design
Solution Approach 1:
The resin injection system is made dynamic and adjustable through the use of a resin injection unit with controllable injection parameters. The injection amount, pressure, and timing can be adjusted without modifying the mold design. This dynamic control allows flexible optimization of resin quantity for different fiber layer configurations and production requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Resin injection parameters (amount, pressure, temperature, timing) can be changed independently without altering the mold design. The resin injection unit allows parameter adjustment to optimize impregnation for different fiber layer thicknesses and configurations, particularly for the thick fiber layers at the neck portion, while maintaining manufacturing flexibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables effective resin impregnation of inner layers, enhances the pressure capacity of the neck portion, and allows for adjustable resin amounts without mold redesign, while minimizing voids through vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum pump 58 is disposed on the other side of the mold in the axial direction of the vessel body and the vacuum pump is connected to the mold. Further, the mold may be depressurized by the vacuum pump while the resin is injected from the resin injection unit into the mold
Implementation Method 2
injecting a resin onto the neck portion in an axial direction of the vessel body to impregnate the fibers with the resin
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a high-pressure tank includes: forming a vessel body including a body portion having a cylindrical shape, a domical portion having a hemispherical shape and provided at an end of the body portion, and a neck portion extending from the domical portion in an axial direction of the domical portion; winding fibers around an outer peripheral surface of the vessel body to form a plurality of fiber layers laminated in a radial direction of the vessel body; and placing, in a mold, the vessel body around which the fibers have been wound, and then injecting a resin onto the neck portion in an axial direction of the vessel body to impregnate the fibers with the resin.